Day: June 21, 2022

Tennessee Board of Education Solicits Parent Feedback on School Social Studies Programs

Peter D'Abrosca

The Tennessee State Board of Education is asking parents for feedback about the state’s social studies programs, and will update those programs accordingly.

“The Tennessee Academic Standards are the grade- or course-level expectations for what students should know and be able to do,” according to the board’s website. “The State Board of Education (SBE) is charge in law with conducting a review of math, science, English language arts, and social studies standards on a rotating, six-year cycle.”

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Exclusive: TN National Guard Sources Demand Governor Lee Take Action on Vaccine Mandate Firings and Stop ‘This Injustice Now’

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee Star has obtained exclusive information from sources inside the Tennessee National Guard that are calling for Governor Bill Lee to take immediate action because “His Adjutant General is about to discharge hundreds of his National Guard Soldiers before the end of the month for not complying with an unlawful order.”

This group of Tennessee National Guardsmen provided The Star with their message for Governor Lee on the condition of anonymity:

The Governor needs to IMMEDIATELY order Major General Holmes to halt the discharge of these honorable men and women. He needs to order Attorney General Slatery to IMMEDIATELY coordinate with other state AGs to file an emergency injunction against the DoD, forcing them to reverse adverse actions against any National Guardsman for refusal to vaccinate. Governor Lee is the Commander in Chief of the Tennessee National Guard and he has that authority. It’s time to put a stop to this injustice now!

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TN-5 Candidate Andy Ogles Condemns Draft SEC Rule That Threatens Farmers and Others

Aaron Gulbransen

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles, a Republican candidate in the August 4 primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, announced Tuesday that he is joining U.S. Representative John Rose (R-TN-6) in criticizing proposed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations that impose requirements on public companies regarding their non-financial activities. 

“The proposed enhanced reporting requirements that will pressure public companies to pursue liberal political objectives regarding their environmental, social impact, and governance (ESG) policies rather than sound profit and business objectives is quite simply an assault on capitalistic and free-market principles,” Ogles said.

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Tennessee Democrats Suggest Some Americans Aren’t Free on Juneteenth

Peter D'Abrosca

Tennessee’s Democrats on Sunday suggested in a tweet that some Americans are not free.

“On this Juneteenth, we commemorate the last group of enslaved Black people in Texas who learned that they were freed – two and a half years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Our fight is not done until all of us are free,” The Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) said on Twitter.

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Trump Scorches January 6 Committee at Memphis Rally

Peter D'Abrosca

Former President Donald Trump Saturday took aim at his political rivals on the Select Committee on January 6, which for weeks has been holding televised hearings about the riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. 

“This horrible, stupid crazy committee, which is totally partisan – did you ever see… actually the worst person is – by the way, [Wyoming Rep.] Liz Cheney is down 35 points,” Trump said, referencing the congresswoman who is a ringleader of the committee. “She’s actually the worst one on the committee.”

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Civil Rights Commissioner to University of South Carolina: ‘Diversity’ Program Excluding White Students Violates Civil Rights Act and Constitution

Susan Berry, PhD

A University of South Carolina (USC) business school “diversity” program that appears to have accepted students of all races, except white, received the attention of one of the U.S. Civil Rights Commissioners, who wrote to inform the school’s interim president such racially exclusionary policies violate both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Constitution.

Speaking for himself, and not the entire U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Peter Kirsanow wrote Thursday to Harris Pastides, USC interim president, about the Business Success Academy at the school’s Darla Moore School of Business.

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Tennessee Department of Education Seeks Public Input by August 2 on Rules Governing School Funding Formula

Aaron Gulbransen

The Tennessee Department of Education is seeking public comment by August 2 on rules that govern the funding for kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) public schools.

In a tweet amplifying a previous request for public input, TNDOE said, “Informed by input from a variety of stakeholders, all Tennesseans are encouraged to submit public comment on the proposed rules on the TISA public school funding formula by 8/2.”

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Commentary: The Democrats’ Trump Obsession Will Do Them In

Admin

In 2020, despite gaining control of the White House and the Senate, the Democrats suffered a net loss of 13 seats in the House and a comprehensive down ballot drubbing. This was hardly a mandate for radical change. Yet, upon taking office, President Biden immediately reversed former President Trump’s successful energy policies and incentivized illegal immigrants to invade our southern border. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats collaborated with Biden to pass inflationary spending bills and embarked upon an unconstitutional crusade to convict Trump of fictitious crimes against the state.

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Senator Hagerty Promotes Participation in Letter Telling SEC to Back Off ESG Regulation Affecting Farmers

Aaron Gulbransen

Tennessee U.S. Senator Bill Hagerty touted his participation on Saturday in a letter signed by more than 30 senators to Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler  pushing back against a proposed Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) regulation that would harm America’s farmers.

The proposed rule is entitled, “Enhanced and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors.”

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Mike Collins, Vernon Jones Hurl Accusations as Voters Are Set to Go to the Polls in Georgia Runoff Election

Cooper Moran

Former Democratic state lawmaker Vernon Jones and businessman Mike Collins are set to face off in a runoff election on Tuesday to win the Republican nomination for Georgia’s 10th Congressional District.

As voters get ready to go to the polls, the candidates are making their final pitch to voters by hurling accusations about one another.

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Former RPV Chair Representing Loudoun Teacher in Suit Against School Board

Eric Burk

Former Republican Party of Virginia Chairman John Whitbeck, Jr. is representing Loudoun teacher Erin Brooks in a lawsuit against the school board and Principal Diane Mackey. Brooks, a special needs teacher, alleges that a student repeatedly touched her in inappropriate ways, that the school failed to respond adequately, and that Mackey retaliated after Brooks spoke out.

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Ohio Group Joins Fight Against California’s Livestock Regulations

The Center Square

An Ohio group joined the fight against a California proposition that it believes imposes illegal regulations on the pork industry across the country.

The Buckeye Institute, a Columbus-based policy group, filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court recently in a case filed by the National Pork Producers Council that challenges California’s Proposition 12, saying it violates the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, which restricts states from regulating commerce outside their borders.

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Governor Whitmer’s Lost Case Sends $200,000 in Attorneys Fees to Policy Center’s Litigation Effort

The Center Square

Michigan’s governor, attorney general, and Department of Health and Human Services are on the hook for $200,000 in attorneys fees incurred from a lawsuit resolved by the state’s Supreme Court.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy will collect the $200,000 after the state Supreme Court ruled against the government principals on Oct. 2, 2020, declaring Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s exercise of emergency powers under a 1945 law unconstitutional. The court’s ruling nullified every COVID-19 executive order issued by the governor after April 30, 2020.

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Pennsylvania State House Committee Passes Performance-Based Incentives for University Funding

Bradley Vasoli

A bill to create a performance-based funding incentive for three public universities passed the Pennsylvania House Education Committee on Monday, with all 15 Republicans supportive and all 10 Democrats opposed.

Beginning in Fiscal Year 2023-24, the bill would apply to Pennsylvania State University, Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh, three of Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities. (The fourth, Lincoln University, is a historically black institution that relies primarily on commonwealth funding.)

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Gov. Walz Offers Minnesotans $1,000 Checks to Spend Half of $9.2 Billion Surplus

The Center Square

Gov. Tim Walz suggested sending half of the state’s $9.2 billion surplus back to taxpayers in a 15-minute special session.

Walz last weekend proposed sending individuals $1,000, and married couples $2,000.

Only Walz can call a special session, but he hasn’t after a GOP and DFL broad deal for $4 billion in tax relief and $4 billion in savings disintegrated in May as the regular session concluded.

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Arizona Department of Education Directs Pre-Teens to Trans Online Chat Rooms

Peter D'Abrosca

A “Student Resources” page on the website of the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) directs pre-teens to LGBT sources of information and support. 

“These resources are provided to assist in the support of LGBTQ students in our schools and communities,” according to the ADE. “They were collected by members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community as part of ADE’s Equitable and Inclusive Practices Advisory Council.”

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Massachusetts Bishop Revokes ‘Catholic’ Status of Jesuit School Flying LGBTQ and Black Lives Matter Flags

Susan Berry, PhD

A bishop has revoked the “Catholic” status of a Jesuit middle school in Worcester, Massachusetts, for defying his order to stop flying flags supporting the LGBTQ “pride” and Black Lives Matter (BLM) movements.

“The Nativity School of Worcester is prohibited from this time forward from identifying itself as a ‘Catholic’ school and may no longer use the title ‘Catholic’ to describe itself,” Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester announced in a decree Thursday.

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DeSantis Responds to Furor over COVID Shots for Children: ‘The White House Is Lying’

Steve Stewart

The DeSantis Administration is pushing back on comments by the White House press secretary and media reports that claim Florida has reversed course related to COVID shots for children. Florida made news as the only state not to pre-order the COVID vaccine for children six months to five years of age.

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the vaccines for emergency use on June 17 for children as young as 6 months and the CDC recommended everyone ages 6 months and older get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Jeremy Redfern, press secretary for the Florida Department of Health, said the department “chose not to participate” in the vaccination program because the state health department is not following federal public health recommendations.

Governor Ron DeSantis also commented on the situation.

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Cruz Stumps for Vega the Day Before VA-07 Primary

Eric Burk

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) was scheduled to appear twice on Monday with Prince William County Supervisor Yesli Vega, who is running for the GOP nomination for VA-07 in Tuesday’s primary. Vega is facing five other candidates including Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania), who raised the most cash and has the edge in name recognition, Special Forces veteran Derrick Anderson who has out-raised all but Reeves, and Stafford County Supervisor Crystal Vanuch whose fundraising never got off the ground despite her own $400,000 loan to her campaign.

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Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life on Post-Roe World and Pelosi Communion Denial

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life spoke with The Tennessee Star about what the landscape is going to look like in a post-Roe world and addressed the denial of communion to Speaker Nancy Pelosi because of her pro-abortion views and actions in government.

“We’re going to have to work with lawmakers, first of all, in those states that have either trigger laws or pre-existing pro-life laws that have been blocked by the courts – do whatever is necessary quickly to get those laws activated,” he said. “In some cases it’ll take some legislative action, not to the same extent as starting from scratch, but the steps that need to be taken,” Father Pavone said.

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Music Spotlight: Sweet Tea Trio

Bethany Bowman

When I interviewed Sweet Tea Trio earlier this year, I knew they had a new EP in the works, but they were unsure of the release date. So I waited until Sugar Rush was released to share their story.

Alabama natives Victoria Camp, Kate Falcon, and Charity Bowden make up an all-female harmony group called Sweet Tea Trio. They met through a mutual vocal coach in Alabama.

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State Representative Nguyen’s ‘Glenn Martin Act’ Aims to Require Hospitals to Allow Daily In-Person Visitation

Neil Jones

Arizona State Rep. Quang Nguyen’s (R-AZ-01) “Glenn Martin Act,” which aims to require hospitals to allow daily in-person visitation, became law on Monday with Gov. Doug Ducey’s (R) signature.

“Some of the restrictive visitation policies put in place by facilities during the pandemic had consequences far beyond that of protecting patient health,” Nguyen said in a press release. “Patients were separated from their families, clergy, and others for long periods. That can be detrimental to a patient’s mental and physical health and is especially devastating in an end-of-life situation.”

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Vulnerable Democrat Congressman Tom O’Halleran Receives Funding Boost from Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Super PAC

Cooper Moran

Congressman Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01), who is facing an uphill battle to re-election in a newly-drawn congressional district, received a funding boost from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

According to financial disclosures from the Federal Election Commission, Pelosi’s superPAC, PAC to the Future, sent O’Halleran a check for $5,000. 

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Debbie Lesko Takes Action in Response to Threat Against Arizona Pregnancy Centers

Neil Jones

Arizona Rep. Debbie Lesko recently took action in an attempt to protect threatened pregnancy centers in Arizona.

“Radical pro-abortion activists are planning attacks on Choices Pregnancy Centers [Choices] in Arizona in the wake of the anticipated Dobbs v. Jackson decision. I am demanding that the Department of Justice take swift action to prevent these attacks,” Lesko said in her newsletter.

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Senator Marco Rubio Scores Another Law Enforcement Endorsement

Steve Stewart

This past Friday, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio announced he had received the endorsement of the Florida Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) in his U.S. Senate contest against probable opponent, Democratic Rep. Val Demings, a former law enforcement official.

The endorsement comes amid a statewide TV commercial campaign by Demings that seeks to highlight her law enforcement background – which includes 27 years as an Orlando police officer, including  four years as the Orlando Chief of Police – and to defuse attempts to tie her to the 2020 “defund the police” messages pushed by some liberal Democrats.

“In the Senate, I’ll protect Florida from bad ideas,” Demings says in the new 30-second TV spot. “Defunding the police: That’s just crazy.”

However, Rubio has been critical of Demings’ vote on legislation that includes provisions that would strip police of qualified immunity. Qualified immunity protects law enforcement officers against lawsuits over what they do on the job.

A Rubio campaign video shows law enforcement officers expressing outrage over Demings’ vote.

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Andy Biggs Demands a Briefing from Senator Mayorkas over Move to Discipline Border Patrol Agents

Neil Jones

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) sent a letter to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, demanding a briefing on the investigation into Del Rio, Texas, border patrol agents amidst reports that these agents will be disciplined.

The letter requests that Mayorkas provide a briefing by June 24, 2022. Biggs’s spokesman told the Arizona Sun Times that the DHS has not responded to Biggs’s letter yet.

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Youngkin and Kaine Speak on Juneteenth at Separate Events

Eric Burk

Two Virginia governors gave Juneteenth speeches over the weekend: Governor Glenn Youngkin spoke at Fort Monroe on Sunday, and former governor, current U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) gave the keynote speech at a Loudoun NAACP Juneteenth event Monday. Both men highlighted the role of Virginia as the site where African slaves first arrived in 1619. Youngkin focused more on the contrast between those actions and the U.S.’ ideals, which the country is still striving for, while Kaine focused on the history of slavery and emancipation in America while referring to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s educational policy without directly naming the governor.

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Early Voting Concludes as Voters Head to the Polls for Primary Runoff Election Day

Addison Basurto

Early voting has concluded as Georgia voters make their way to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in the midterm primary election runoff. Republicans in the 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th House Congressional Districts, including two Trump endorsees, are all facing off.   

“These runoffs are very interesting races. Very low turnout. So far, there have been only 14,000 people that voted in all of Georgia’s Sixth District,” the Trump-endorsed Jake Evans said on the John Fredericks Radio show on Monday. “This is 100% a turnout game. We feel very strong about the position we’re in.”

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Environmental Groups Sue Biden to Vacate Oil and Gas Permits as Gas Climbs over $5 per Gallon

Admin

Amid an ongoing energy crisis nationwide, two environmental law groups are suing the Biden administration to block over 3,500 oil and gas leases that were previously greenlit in Wyoming and New Mexico.

Represented by the Western Environmental Law Center, the Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians are suing the Department of the Interior (DOI) and its Secretary Deb Haaland, as well as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its Director Tracy Stone-Manning. The government is violating the Endangered Species Act and others, the groups alleged Wednesday.

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Texas GOP Adopts New Platform: Biden ‘Was Not Legitimately Elected’

Admin

The Texas Republican Party has adopted a new platform, rejecting the certification of the 2020 presidential election results and declaring “that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States.”

The 40-page platform was adopted by the state GOP in Houston over the weekend for its biennial convention, The Hill reported.

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Rumors Swirl at the Vatican That Pope Francis May Soon Retire

Admin

In the past year, rumors have swirled in Rome that Pope Francis may soon retire, and in the past few days, those rumors have accelerated. The 85-year-old’s frail health is one reason for the speculation.  In recent weeks, he has been confined to a wheelchair due to debilitating knee pain.

He also reportedly struggles to stand due to his sciatica.  The “Woke Pope” recently cancelled a trip to Africa scheduled for next month due to his knee ailment, “raising questions about his ability to walk during the rest of his papacy,” according to Reuters.

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New Jersey Parent Sues School for Curriculum That Allegedly Discriminates Against White Students

Admin

A parent is suing their child’s school district and its individual administrators in Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, for teaching an educational curriculum that allegedly promotes “anti-racism” and discriminates against white students, according to legal documents.

The parent, listed as B.L. for privacy, is suing Mountain Lakes School District for certain parts of its curriculum put in place since the murder of George Floyd in 2020 which allegedly teach “racial political ideology” and create a “hostile educational environment” for white students, according to the lawsuit filed on June 6. White students, and particularly one student listed as J.L. for privacy, have been allegedly discriminated against because of race, the lawsuit says.

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Marsha Blackburn on Inflation, Gas Price, and Border Emergencies: Biden Administration Is ‘Doing This Intentionally’

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – In an exclusive interview with The Tennessee Star, Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn blasted the Biden administration, saying regarding the inflation, gas price, and border emergencies that “they are doing this intentionally.”

Blackburn spoke with The Star backstage at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Conference.

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